′Turkey is shooting itself in the foot′- by Thomas Seibert

urkey has rarely launched rhetorical attacks on so many different international players in such a short time. The pope came in for his share, as did the European Parliament.

Then it was Austria's turn, before Germany, France, Russia and the USA were also all verbally assaulted - in a series of foreign office statements issued at the rate of almost one a minute - for the positions they have taken in the debate on the correct word to give to the massacre of Armenians by Ottoman authorities one hundred years ago.

In the case of Germany, Ankara stressed that the Turkish people would neither forgive nor forget the words of President Joachim Gauck, who has spoken of an Armenian genocide. At the same time, the Turkish government warned the German parliament in Berlin against passing a planned resolution that also speaks of a genocide against the Armenians from 1915 to 1917.

The presidents of the USA, Russia and France - Barack Obama, Vladimir Putin and Francois Hollande - drew Ankara's ire because they also mentioned the massacre. And Obama didn't even use the "G-word" out of consideration for his country's important NATO ally.

Read more: ′Turkey is shooting itself in the foot′ | News | DW.DE | 26.04.2015

Armenia: Turkey and Armenia Host Clashing Centennial Memorials - by Noah Rayman

Commemorations of two 1915 events—the mass killings of Armenians in Turkey and the Turkish stand at Gallipoli—have caused tension More than 60 leaders and representatives from around the world converged on the Armenian capital on Friday to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the beginning of a period during which more than 1 million Armenians were killed in Turkey. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President François Hollande both attended the ceremony, while the White House dispatched Treasury Secretary Jack Lew.

The anniversary of the 1915 killings, in what was then the eastern edge of the Ottoman Empire, has coincided with a surge in international awareness. In the past month, global icons ranging from Pope Francis to Kim Kardashian (who has Armenian ancestry) have ruffled Turkish feathers by shedding light on the killings and using the term “genocide,” which the Turkish government rejects. And as world envoys gather in Yerevan, similar ceremonies will be held in cities around the world.

On April 24, 1915, the Ottomans rounded up Armenian intellectuals in Istanbul in the beginning of what historians widely consider a genocidal act of bloodshed. In an article years later about a violent Armenian campaign for vengeance, TIME Magazine described the killings - click on the link below for the complete report

Note EU-Digest: One hundred years now this argument between Armenia and Turkey has been going on.

If anyone would take the time to study the history or even review the basic facts available in the two countries archives (Turkey allows you to look at theirs - Armenians don't so far).

In this case, where the waters are still murky, our fellow European,  the President of Germany, the Pope and many other leaders should  have checked all the facts, before making any rash statements on the issue or mentioning the word genocide.

Indeed terrible atrocities took place on both sides - but the figure of 1.5, constantly quoted, mainly by Armenians, as to the number of Armenian victims is fictitious. There were not even that number of Armenians living in the whole of Turkey at that time.

Hopefully some time soon some independent forum (UN) can come up with a realistic answer to what now seems to have become a profitable venture for the Armenians and a very sad, but time consuming issue for everyone else.

Read more: Turkey and Armenia Host Clashing Centennial Memorials | TIME

EU: Has Europe’s migration policy capsized? - Shiulie Ghosh

European nations have been accused of putting the lives of thousands of migrants at risk, as unprecedented numbers make the sea crossing from north Africa.

Amnesty International said the EU is "turning its back on its responsibilities" by scrapping rescue operations.

It’s estimated that more than 10,000 migrants have set off for their preferred destination of Italy in April alone, crammed aboard overcrowded old boats and rafts.

On Friday, an Italian coast guard ship docked in Sicily, carrying another 300 migrants, rescued off the coast of Libya. Most were from Somalia, Nigeria and Eritrea, with a small group from Syria.

Hundreds of others are reported to have died this week as their boats capsized or ran into difficulties, although there is no accurate figure.

The UN said the latest loss of life is "...a human rights tragedy, not a natural tragedy,” and one that needs to be addressed through a "…comprehensive human rights-based approach, that is the shared responsibility of all countries."

European Commission spokeswoman, Natasha Bertaud, admitted the situation had become grave, but added: "We do not have a silver bullet or any kind of panacea that is going to make the situation go away … and no amount of finger-pointing is going to change that."

So should the European Union take more responsibility for migrants heading to its shores?
Or does there need to be a broader policy to spare migrants from falling into the hands of smugglers?

Read more: Has Europe’s migration policy capsized? - Al Jazeera English

Middle East: Sales of US arms fuels the wars of Arab states - by Mark Mazzetti and Helene Cooper

To wage war in Yemen, Saudi Arabia is using F-15 fighter jets bought from Boeing. Pilots from the United Arab Emirates are flying Lockheed Martin's F-16 to bomb both Yemen and Syria. Soon, the Emirates are expected to complete a deal with General Atomics for a fleet of Predator drones to run spying missions in their neighborhood.

As the Middle East descends into proxy wars, sectarian conflicts and battles against terrorist networks, countries in the region that have stockpiled American military hardware are now actually using it and wanting more.

The result is a boom for American defense contractors looking for foreign business in an era of shrinking Pentagon budgets — but also the prospect of a dangerous new arms race in a region where the map of alliances has been sharply redrawn.

Read more: Sales of US arms fuels the wars of Arab states

Pollution - US, China contribute most 'mountains' of electronic waste

The United States and China contributed most to record mountains of electronic waste such as cellphones, hair dryers and fridges in 2014 and less than a sixth ended up recycled worldwide, a U.N. study said on Sunday. Overall, 41.8 million tonnes of “e-waste”—defined as any device with an electric cord or battery—were dumped around the globe in 2014 and only an estimated 6.5 million tonnes were taken for recycling, the United Nations University (UNU) said.

“Worldwide, e-waste constitutes a valuable ‘urban mine’, a large potential reservoir of recyclable materials,” said David Malone, the U.N. under-secretary-general and rector of UNU.
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The report estimated that the discarded materials, including gold, silver, iron and copper, was worth some $52 billion.

The United States led e-waste dumping with 7.1 million tonnes in 2014, ahead of China on 6.0 million and followed by Japan, Germany and India, it said.

Read more: Americas - US, China contribute most 'mountains' of electronic waste - France 24

Germany: ‘Game of Drones’: heart of US strike operations ‘in Ramstein, Germany’ - by Alasdair Sandford

Top-secret intelligence is said to indicate that the hi-tech heart of America’s drone programme is in Germany.

An anonymous high-level source is quoted in a joint investigation by The Intercept website and Der Spiegel magazine as saying that the US military base at Ramstein performs an essential function in the lethal strikes carried out in the Middle East, Afghanistan and Africa.

“Without Ramstein, drones could not function, at least not as they do now,” the source is quoted as saying.

Two years ago, allegations that the huge U.S. base in Germany was being used to facilitate drone strikes caused massive controversy. In response, Berlin claimed it had no hard evidence of Ramstein’s role.

Use of the military base is on condition that the Americans do nothing there that violates German law.
The new evidence in a series of slides is said to give details of how Ramstein relays crucial information, enabling drone operators in the American Southwest to communicate with their remote aircraft in Yemen, Afghanistan, Pakistan and elsewhere.


The new claims may embarrass the German government, already accused of failing to challenge Washington over Ramstein’s role.

Note EU-Digest: Once again another sign how weak and fearful Europe (the EU) is when it comes to dealing more firmly with  the US. When the US says "jump", the EU always answers "how high"?  

To make matters worse, terrorism confronting the EU and other European nations on our home territory has never been at higher levels than today as a result of these totally failed US Middle East policies and  the US "success" in dragging the EU into their Middle East "escapade"s. Why doesn't the US base their drones on US territory instead of Germany and  also take up the millions of refugees fleeing into Europe as a result of this debacle of theirs in the Middle East ? Maybe instead of burdening Europe with this problem, these refugees could at least help to populate  some of the US's sparsely populated  states like Wyoming, Maine, Alaska and Montana.

Read more: ‘Game of Drones’: heart of US strike operations ‘in Ramstein, Germany’ | euronews, world news

Mediterranean Disaster: Fears that 30,000 migrants could die crossing Mediterranean in 2015

A dire warning has been issued as survivors of Sunday’s shipwreck arrived in Sicily, after a disaster that left up to 900 people dead.

It is feared that if Mediterranean migrant deaths continue at the same rate, more than 30,000 people could drown before the year is through.

The warning comes from the International Organisation for Migration.

From the United Nations Refugee Agency too, the statistics are grim.

“April 2015 has truly been the cruellest month, the highest numbers that we have seen for deaths in any month on the Mediterranean,” UNHCR Spokesman Adrian Edwards told a news briefing in Geneva.

“We have had so far this year 1,776 reported dead on the Mediterranean.”
Europe is soul-searching after this worst such tragedy in living memory.

 Read more: Fears that 30,000 migrants could die crossing Mediterranean in 2015 | euronews, world news